Today is Valentine’s Day, and, love it or hate, this holiday is bound to inspire some questions from the kids in your life. For these little humans just beginning to understand how our world works, sometimes big feelings surrounding love and affection can be tricky to navigate. Sharing a book with a trusted loved one is a great way to sort out some of these complicated emotions.
Some children may begin to blush at the mention of Valentine’s Day as they make their first awkward attempts at young love. “This Is Not a Valentine” by Carter Higgins is a sweet look at age-appropriate ways to interact with a crush. In adorably childlike crayon and marker drawings, two little ones express their burgeoning affection in some less-than-conventional ways. Rest assured that this gentle story focuses on warm words and quiet acts of kindness rather than grand gestures or potentially unwanted contact. Continue reading “Expressions of Love for Little Ones”
January 31 is National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day, and while I know that is certainly a long holiday title, it is one worth celebrating with your own little artists. Art can look like a variety of things, ranging from painting to performing, so I have compiled a list of a few ideas to observe this holiday with your child.
The first way you and your child may want to choose to celebrate this holiday is through reading! Reading and literature on its own is an art form, but this list includes several books that celebrate and highlight different types of art and artists. Here are some biographies/works of pioneers in the art world that will inspire your child (and hopefully you as well):
Matthew Burgess’ “Drawing on the Walls” follows the life of Keith Haring as he fights to make art publicly accessible.
Continue reading “Inspire Your Heart With Art”
Brrr, it’s cold outside! Let’s stay cozy and warm inside while creating this winter-themed craft.
Here is what you will need to create your very own popsicle stick snowpeople. Make yours special by adding color, ribbons or any other favorite materials. The possibilities are endless!
Items needed
- Construction or cardstock paper in each of these colors:
- White
- Black
- Orange
- Pink
- Blue
- Yellow
- 2 googly eyes
- 1 jumbo popsicle stick
- White paint
- Paint brush
- 2 chenille stems
- Black marker
- Glue stick
Continue reading “Snowpeople Craft”
“Big bodies, small bodies, dancing, playing, happy bodies! Look at all these different bodies! Bodies are cool!” Tyler Feder’s new picture book, “Bodies Are Cool,” is practically perfect in every way. I’ve followed Tyler’s social media and books for a long time, so I knew I was going to love it. Each page features all sorts of folks doing all sorts of activities, including my favorite pages which focus on people swimming! Young and old, big and small, moms and dads, all are in swimsuits having a grand time! Her whimsical and bright illustrations will make you want to read this book over and over again. You’re likely to find something new every time you read it. I read it a third time just so I could find everybody with a tattoo!
This book celebrates ALL bodies, and by the end, you may find yourself staring into a mirror admiring your coolness.
It’s common to create paper chains to count down the days until a favorite holiday or highly anticipated event. These chains are visual trackers that can help little ones grasp the concept of time. Recently, I saw where parents were creating paper chains for New Year, and I thought this would be a wonderful activity for families to count down to midnight on December 31.
I love how versatile these paper chains can be. When I started to create my own for this blog, the plan was to just write the time in a 12-hour format using different colors. Then I realized I could also write the time in a 24-hour format. What a great way this would be to introduce and practice this concept to older children.
Then I thought about being super visual with different times and writing out the times with words and drawing little clocks on light-colored paper. (But how amazing would it be to create a rainbow chain! I love the idea of using super special paper to make the midnight chain, such as patterned scrapbook paper.) Continue reading “Count Down to New Year’s Craft”
The clocks have changed, the days are getting shorter and here in central Missouri, winter has come with plenty of its characteristic frost and wind. For some, this season and its chill are a welcomed time to gather together in celebration and anticipation, to share stories of the past and make goals for the new year. For others, these colder, darker days are difficult to get through, especially when the previous year (or more) has come with its own challenges and heartaches. Wherever you fall on this continuum, I hope you can find some salve and some brilliance, or even some simple moments of “this gets me” resonance, in the following books of poetry which embody the many reflective moods of this season.
Continue reading “Poetry to End the Year”
2021, it’s been fun, but we’re ready for the new 2022!
Celebrate the new year by printing off a handy-dandy handprint calendar (on cardstock) to decorate with the little ones in your life. These calendars make great gifts for family or special keepsakes to record milestones and accomplishments in 2022. Continue reading “Handprint Calendar 2022”
Brrr! Can you feel the chill in the air? It’s almost wintertime again! Time to pull out our wool socks, heavy coats and gloves. Time to turn up the heat in our homes and maybe dust off our sleds and inner tubes in preparation for the first snow day of the school year! And time to perhaps prepare gifts and/or decorations for the upcoming holidays. Whatever your favorite part of the season, these wonderful books, catchy songs, informative videos and fun craft projects can hopefully serve as a complement to your winter fun.
BOOKS:
FICTION
“Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter” by Kenard Pak
A brother and sister take a walk through their town on a late autumn afternoon, greeting the signs of the coming winter and wake the next morning to a beautiful snowfall. Continue reading “Virtual Activity Bundle: Winter”
Listed below are the Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award nominees for 2021! These books encourage reading aloud to children and are selected annually by a group of librarians from Missouri.
Read to your child at least five of the books from the following list of 10 titles, and then vote for your favorite. If you want to check out all of the books at once, pick up a Missouri Building Block Kit.
Voting is open to children in kindergarten and younger and goes through December. The winner will be announced in February.
The pigeon must go to school, but frets about math, learning the alphabet, heavy backpacks and what the teacher and other birds will think of him.
Continue reading “2021 Missouri Building Block Nominees”
Thanksgiving is just a few short days away! Below are some fun last minute ideas to make the kids’ table extra special this year.
Decorations
- Use butcher paper to cover the whole table or make a runner down the middle. Set out some cute jars of crayons and markers, and let the fun begin!
- Sprinkle candy corn around the table for a festive vibe.
- Help the kids create a thankfulness pumpkin. Have everyone share several things they are thankful for. Using permanent markers, write everyone’s answers on a pumpkin.
Free Thanksgiving eBooks Through Your Library
